Biometrics, Digital ID Vendors Co-found New SSI Consortium

The NFID Foundation, a new non-profit consortium focused on advancing Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) within the security industry, has announced its official launch, slated for April 2, 2024.

Self-Sovereign Identity is a digital identity paradigm that places individuals at the center of controlling their personal data. Unlike traditional identity systems where third-party organizations hold and manage personal information, SSI enables individuals to own, control, and share their identity data as they see fit, without relying on any central authority. This approach uses blockchain and other decentralized technologies to create secure, verifiable, and portable identity credentials. Users can prove their identity in various contexts while preserving their privacy and consent.

In its introductory announcement, the NFID Foundation said that its goal is to unlock “new possibilities of transparency, trust, and privacy by establishing and maintaining a verifiable data registry designed specifically for the security industry.”

The initiative is backed by a diverse group of founding members from various sectors such as semiconductor, biometrics, and lock manufacturing, aiming to transform digital identity management in the security sector. Its formal announcement named PassiveBolt CEO Kabir Maiga as the NFID Foundation’s founder. LEGIC, PDQ, TECH5, and ZKTeco USA are also founding members of the group.

Last spring, TECH5, PDQ Manufacturing, PassiveBolt, and ZKTeco entered into a collaborative partnership aimed at helping businesses to leverage biometrics and decentralized identity technology for secure access control. PDQ and ZKTeco would provide door locks and biometric readers, while PassiveBolt would deliver decentralized identity technology and TECH5 offer its T5-Cryptograph solution for encoding biometrics into a printable credential.

Soon after that came the announcement that Rahul Parthe, the co-founder, Chairman, and CTO of TECH5, had become a Strategic Advisor to PassiveBolt.

The businesses’ leadership evidently see considerable value in working together. In their new initiative, LEGIC will join them, bringing to the table its expertise in secure ID and smart card technologies.

“Our goal within the Foundation is to establish NFID’s Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) principles in physical access control, smart living, and mobility ecosystems,” said LEGIC Head of Mobility & Smart City Felix Pütz. “SSI will emerge as a pillar of excellence supporting secure digital identities in a world under ever-increasing security threats.”

For TECH5’s part, Rahul Parthe highlighted the Foundation’s potential to create “an all-inclusive digital ID ecosystem,” adding, “The widespread adoption of digital IDs is essential, and having a platform that bridges the gap between physical and logical access makes it possible. We will collaborate closely with NFID to unlock its potential in the civil ID industry and beyond.”

The organizations are inviting security industry professionals to attend the NFID Foundation’s launch event on April 2 in person to learn more. Details concerning time and venue have not been disclosed, but interested attendees were invited to email nfid@passivebolt.com to inquire about becoming a founding member.

–

(Originally published on Mobile ID World)